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I have no idea what the RUBS formula is or what your lease says, but assuming no meter reading on the day you arrived, utilities should be prorated based on the actual utility bill and the days in the billing period (not necessarily a calendar month) you were present. Ask for a copy of the relevant utility bill(s), check the billing period then prorate.
I pay $70 per month for water and $100-125 for electricity. So I think 70-75 for 11 days would be normal. 125 is on the high side. For ref, I live in a 3bdr single person and use utilities on the conservative side (ie ac is 78c and above)
I assume 78f, because at 78c it would never turn on.
Clarification - the landlord uses the RUBS formula.
That’s crazy high for 11 days, especially for one person in an apartment. Energy and water for our family of four in a single family home (2,000 sq ft) costs about $120 in electricity and $60 for water in the summer months (granted, we did invest quite a bit in energy efficiency, so it’s on the lower end for a typical home).
The only thing I can think of, given your comment on the RUBS formula, is that you are subsidizing community use (irrigation, pool, etc.) and high consumption - or wasteful - neighbors for their energy and water use under an allocated billing method. It’s also possible the building has a leak, but it’s impossible to say at your level.
Unfortunately, without sub-metering, you’re kind of at the mercy of the building efficiency as a whole…
Exactly!
Rising Star
Yes, since you all probably don’t have an individual meter. Also, rates for utilities fluctuate based on the season. Depending on where you live, you can shop around. I was able to choose when living in an apartment in Round Rock because of the different utilities available in the area.
There’s no negotiating utilities though. They are what they are, as far as your portion do what MC1 suggested. If you’re more conservative, you might find yourself going behind your housemates and turning off lights and unplugging small appliances 😂. There are daily fights about the AC (legit childhood trigger lol). I can’t stand the heat, and love my AC on 72 at the absolute max. Definitely no heat on in the “winter” months, so I expect to spend more in late spring, summer, and early fall. That’s how we have always done it living here. I’m an Austinite.
Rising Star
You should be worried. Utilities are expensive here, unless you have low energy solutions and are in sole control of the usage in the entire structure. Are your housemates cognizant of the high electrical costs, and do they care? I think them caring is the most important element. You only have so much control with an apartment complex though.
Yikes! I would ask to see the usage report as a start
I have no idea with RUBS is, but just double check in your bills that they are not overcharging you. I was paying bills of my old apartment and my new house for almost a year 😑 called multiple times to cancel and turns out they didn’t. Ugh, gotta be on top of those F*ckers.
If you have your own water meter for your apartment I would ask the landlord if the sprinklers are connected to it. My parents are landlords and they pay the water bill on the unit that has the sprinklers attached. That’s maybe more generous than most landlords do, but I would check on that.
Unfortunately, this is about right. The water meters were put on a few months ago and billing has increased each month since. I also have a 4bd, live alone and mine is $320-360